Temper-screw for well-drilling tools



R. E. NEiLSON.

TEMPER SCREW FOR WELL DRILLING TO QLS.

' APPLlCATlON FILED MAR. 22, 1920.

1A00,90., Patented. "Dec. 20, 1921.

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ROBERT E. NEILSON, OF TULSA, OKLAHOEIA,

ASSIGNOE, BY DIRECT AND THESNE ALSSEGNIILENTS, T0 TULSA IdhfiHINE AND TGOL CQMIPANY, OF TULSA, OKLA I-IOMA.

TELMIPER-SCREiU "WELL-DRILLING: 1 00113.

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Application filed March 2 To oil to I10 m it ii'iog comic mt Be known that l, lloonn'r hlniLsoN, at citit'en of the United totes, and a. resident oil Tulsa, in the count of Tulsa. and rotate of Oklahoma. have inv nted certain new and useful Improvements in 'leinper-Screws for Well-Drilling Tools, 01 which the following is a specification.

My ii'ivention relates to improvements in temper-screws for oil and other well drilling tools, and it consists in the constructions, combinations and arrangements herein described end claimed.

One of the fOfBImOSt objects of the invention is to embody improved constructions in a temper-screw so as to render the tool in more durable than ordinary temperscrews re known to be, many oi the parts being interclnuigecble and quickly replaceable so that repairs can be rapidly mode.

More specifically stated, a further object is to provide at temper-screw in which the reins are reversible and interchangeable, and in which the head and jaw extensions to which the reins are secured, are themselves replaceable in. cases of breakage.

A further object of the invention is to provide means, preferably springs, for autoinoticnlly separating the screw jaws from the main screw when the associated clamp is undone for the release of said sci-cw.

A still 'hn'ther OlJjBC oi? the invention is to provide removable bushings intthe screw jaws, of emetol dissimilar to that oi the main screw so as to avoid damaging t 119 main screw in opening and closing the jaws. A. further object the invention is to provide on improved chunp yoke, which hes flattened pa thereof on the screw j ews, in case the reln tively light holding screw should snap oil.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved cehle supporting yoke in which the Sill Jorting link epertu are strengthened 3 extending lips, .lTlCl inwhich laterally removable closure blocks are provided to enable the insertion oi the links from the ends of the yoke upon removal 01. the blocks.

Gther objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference be ing' had to the accompanying lrewings, in which Figure 1 is a detail sid elevation illus- Specification of Letters Patent.

rts to prevent relative turning Fig. is a front elevation of the temper screw,

F 1g. 42 is e. detail sectional View on the line l l oi 3, showingthe springs for automatically separating the screw jaws from the main screw when the clamp yoke is undone,

Fig. 5 is detail horizontal section on the line of Fig. 2, illustrating the construction of the clamp yoke and its mounting on the screw jaws, parts of the yoke also beshown in section,

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the removehle screw bushings,

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the temperscrew head,

F 8 is a perspective view of one of the screw jaws,

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view of the upper ends of the reins, and

Fig. 10 is e. perspective view of the iniproved cehle supporting yoke.

The general arrangement of that part of a well dr' fng apparatus to which the improved. ten'iper-screw e iaplies is clearly illustrated in Big. 1 wherein the temper-screw generally indicated 1, is shown supported on the tree end o5 the milking oezun 2,which is pivoted on the headache post 3 and actueted by the ordinary hullwheel t.

he cable is held by the gripping means has links "2" which are carried 8. This yoke shown in Fig. 10, and since "ili'QS of improvement over each stroke. When the main screw 9 has been led out to the fullest extent, the clamp 10 is undone so that the screw jaws 11 separate, thus releasing the main screw and permitting the counter-weight 12 topull it back to the top. This is accomplished by means of the cable connections 13. Considering the parts ofthe temper-screw in regular order, attention is first directed to the head 14, which, although capable of being made in any desired manner and of any suitable ma terial, is preferably cast in the vanadium steel since this particular material is renowned for its extreme toughness. Cylindrical arms pivotally rest in appropriate sockets in the end of'the walking beam, as is common in the art, but are provided with eyelets 16 in which the cable connections 13 are guided.

Relatively long depressions or recesses 17 in opposite sides of the head, terminate in. smaller recesses 18 with interposed shoulders 19. The particular formation of the recesses and shoulders shown in Fig. 7, is of little consequence since they may be made otherwise than illustrated, their sole function being to receive and support the reins 20, the upper ends of which are shaped to precisely conform to the shape of the recesses and shoulders in the head 14. Fi

9 shows the upper ends of the reins 20 to be recessed at 21 where the lugs or shoulders 19 come, and provided with lugs or shoulders 22 to fit in the recesses 18. The lower ends of the reins are made in precisely the same manner, and by reason of this construction the reins can be put in either way and can easily be replaced should a break occur.

The specific purpose of the lug and recess arrangements is to relieve the rein securing means 23 of undue strain. The securing means may be either bolts or rivets, either of which are easily removed when the occasion so demands. The lower ends of the reins are secured in the screw jaws 11, (see Fig. 8,) which have extensions 24 with recesses 25, 26 and shoulders 27 identical in formation and purpose to the corresponding parts in the head 14:. Recessed bosses 28 house expansion springs 29 for the purpose of separating the screw jaws from the main screw 9, when the screw 30 of the clamping joke 10 is unscrewed to release the jaws from the main screw.

Bushings or boxes 31 in the screw jaws 11, are made of a metal dissimilar to that of the main screw 9 so that the danger of cutting or other mutilating of the main screw by the opening and closing movements of the jaws, is avoided. These bushings are internally square threaded to receive the square threads of the main screw. IT hey also have ribs 32 to occupy grooves 33 in the jaws, and screws 3 1 to retain them in position. V

The clamping yoke 10 embraces the lower endsofthe screw jaws 11, the jaw at the right of Fig. 2 being recessed at 35, to receive that end of the yoke. Ordinarily, the

screw 36 is sufficient to hold'the yoke in place, but in" order to anticipate the possible formed loss or breaking of the screw 36, which would result in the shifting of the yoke on the screw jaws, the sides of the recess are flattened at 37 (Fig. 5) to be engaged by shoulders 38 inside of the yoke and thus prevent possible relative turning.

The cable supporting yoke 8 embodies several novel features which are clearly illustrated in Fig. 10. It is loosely mounted on the lower end of the main screw 9, but in order to keep it from swinging around and perhaps striking the operator, a'stay rod 39 (Fig. 1) is pivotally attached to the stay lug 40 at one side.

Any part ofthe well rigging will do as a place for mounting the other end of the stay rod, so long as this mounting will accommodate the up-and-down movement of the apparatus to which it'is attached. Incidentally it is to be observed in Fig. 2 that the cable supporting yoke 8 rests on the ball bearing 4L1 adjacent to the lower end of the main screw. The halls of this bearing are car led in a retainer ring which keeps them from dropping out should the yoke 8 by any chance move up from the bearing.

Apertures 31-2 are occupied by the links 7 in Fig. 1, and in order to extend the supporting bases of the links, lateral lips 4E3'are on the yoke. Thebottoms of the apertures and lips are curved to precisely conform to the curvature of the upper end of each link; By thus materially increasing the link supporting surface, the likelihood of link breakage due to the great strains, is materially reduced. 7

Closure blocks e 1 are removable from the sides to admit the links to the apertures 12. When these are replaced, and secured by the bolts 45, the yoke structure is completed so that it appears practically integral. All that is required for the fitting of the bolts 45, is to drill a hole through each end of the yoke, the bottom of each being cored out to accominodate the head of the bolt.

No machine work is therefore necessary as is the case in similar devices on the market, which employ top closure plates which are screwed down. The use of screws means the boring and tapping of holes.

Referring again to themain screw 9, the upper end is provided with an elevator 43 which has a ball bearing mounting l? (Fig. 2) on the screw. This elevator is nothing more than a cross piece extending-at right angles to the reins .20, to the ends of which the cable connections 13 are secured. The purpose of the elevator, although indirectly referred to above, is made more clearly apparent in the operation of the temper-screw, which may here be briefly reviewed to advantage. The operator attends the drilling operation as in Fig. 1, and at the end of each stroke of the walking beam 2 and temper-screw 1, gives the screw handle 18 one of the drilling apparatus in the well bore,

is supported by the screw jaws l1, reins 20, head 14, etc. All iese parts together weigh hundreds of pounds and the provision of the various recesses and shoulders 17, 1S and 19 in the head 14, and recesses 21 and lugs 22 on the reins, function to support the great weight imposed thereon and to relieve the fastening means 23 of undue strains.

The temper-screw is hoisted into position on the end oi the walking-beam 2 by attaching the hoisting rope or other hoisting ap paratus part to the ring 15 in the middle of the head 14.

When the main screw 9 is completely let out in respect to the reins 20, the operator gives the screw 30 a number of turns to unloosen the yoke 10, whereupon the springs 29 expand and force the screw jaws 11 from the main screw 9. It is then that the weight 12 operates to pull the screw 9 and all attached parts up so that a grip by means of the instrument 6 may be gotten on the cable 5 in a new place.

It is necessary to repeatedly grip the cable in new places so as to accommodate the lowering or working down of the drilling implement at the bottom, by reason of the drilling operation The interchangeable and renewable functions of the various temperscrew parts should now be fully understood without requiring repetition.

I claim 1. A temper-screw, including ahead suitably formed for support on a walking beam, screw jaws adapted to engage a main screw, and connecting reins with end formations so associated with corresponding head and jaw formations, as to enable reversal and interchanging of the reins and individual replacements of the head and jaws.

2. A temper-screw, including a walking beam-supported head, and main screw-gripping screw jaws, both with shouldered recesses of like formation; and connecting reins with end formations fittin the recesses, all being of like contour to enable reversing or interchanging the reins or replacing the head and jaws V individually.

3. A temper-screw, including a walking beam-supported head, and main screw-grip sing means including separable screw jaws, both jaws and the head having shouldered recesses of like formation; and reins connecting the individual jaws to the head, suitable securing means being provided, said reins having similar end formations providing independent supporting means relieving the strain on said securing means, and en ablin g reversal and interchange of the reins,

and replacement of either the head or individual jaws without disassembling other parts of the structure.

i. A temper-screw, inchiding a pair of reins with end inteiufupted-edge formations to provide locking devices, a walking beamsupport-ed head with opposed-side recesses of contours corresponding to both rein-end formations to provide strain-relieving supports independent of rein securi g means; and a two-part screw jaw, each part with an extension having opposed-side recesses like those in the head, to receive either end-of either rein and to enable the easy removal of any rein-attached part.

5. A temper-screw supporting head, comprising a cross bar adapted for mounting on a walking beam, with end cable guide eyelets; and recesses in opposite sides of the head, with shoulder formations to receive and support similarly formed connecting reins.

6. A temper-screw, including a main cable-supporting screw, screw jaws, means for clamping them around the screw in normal operation, including an embracing yoke suitably secured to one jaw, with auxiliary means preventing relative yoke-turning should the securing means fail, and a binding screw engaging the other jaw; means, including springs, for separating the from the main screw when the binding screw is counter-turned, and means in connection with the main screw for then raising it in respect to the jaws, including cable and weight connections.

7. A temper-screw, including a main screw, a pair of half-screw jaws, each with suitably mounted and atlixed bushings of metal dissimilar to that of the screw, and one with a recess terminating in flat ends, both having opposed sockets with expansion springs; and a yoke embracing the jaws, with a flat shouldered end seated in the recess in engagement with the Hat ends and suitably secured, said shoulders and flat ends preventing turning should the securing means fail, and abinding screw engaging the other screw jaw.

8. The combination in a temper-screw, of a pair of screw jaws, with axially alined and separated recesses housing expansion springs; a main screw centrally situated in respect to the jaws and springs, and clamping means cooperating with the springs in opening and closing the jaws around the screw.

9. A temper-screw, comprising a head with opposite shouldered recesses, and extending pivot arms with cable eyelets; reins secured in the recesses, with formations on each end like those of the recesses in the head; unthreaded screw jaws, with extensions having inside recess formations to receive the lower rein ends, one having a flatended recess,and internal grooves; a main screw occupying half threaded bushings secured in the jaws, with ribs in the grooves, the screw having a hall-hearing swiveled cross bar at the upper end with cable connections running, through the eyelets, the lower end having turning means with cable carrying meansg and jaw clamping means including a yoke secured in the recess, with fiat shoulders engaging the flattened ends, and a binding screw opposing expansion springs operatively situated between the screw jaws.

10. In a temper-screw, a cable supporting yoke, with link apertures having lips ex- ROBERT E. NEILSON. 

